Maiden Launch

Your well wishes gave me the extra boost I needed for the maiden launch! I hauled my soda-bottle ornithopter right up to the edge of the top porch step, calibrating the departure angle against the drop-off. Bracing my heels against the weathered wooden riser, I wound the offset wire crank thirty full clockwise rotations, loading maximum torsional potential into the rubber band. I settled into the cockpit under the translucent canopy, took a breath, and released the release pin with my left foot. Whirr-flutter! The flexible plastic wings beat in a blur of motion. The craft surged over the ledge, caught the midday air, and glided five glorious feet before making a gentle, skidding belly landing on the dry lawn below!